The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1887-04-15
For the Democrat-Star.
Some Of the Mistakes Of Knights
Of Labor.


. The idea seems to obtain with the
Knights Of Labor that, iu order to
improve theacondtion of the labor
ing classes, it is only necessary to
unite in some organization so fed.
eralized and so concerted in its
operation as to be able tocontr0l the
labor of the country and dictate
terms to all corporations or indi
viduals who employ labor. But
the idea is a fallacious one, if we
take the history of every conflict
between capital aud labor since the
first labor organization began its
struggle for the mastery over capt.
tai as a criterion; even in the few
cases where the strikers succeeded
III securing the object sought, very
few OF them after reinstatement,
remained loug enough to recover
the losses sustained during the
strike, in almost every Case it. is
''cuttiUg off the nose to spite the
face" But the laborers exclaim,
What are We to do? Must we accede
to every unjust demand of the
emplOyerG Must we work at star
vatiOn wages? Or course not; it
is not absolutely necessary to life
tor such large numbers of labOrers
10 hang around large cities aud
manufacturing districts, thereby
making the supply of labor SO tar in
ers are enabled to rule the prices
Nor will the plea that we are here
aud caunOt get away do. There
are thousands of wild lands in the
United States, and good lands, too,
that will afford an independent
living to any labOrer that will spend
three.tourthS OF the labor in tilline
the soil. that is spent in wrestling
with freight, or in any of the vOca
tiOnS of the IabOring classes, and il
capitalists could be made redso0a-
oily sure that a moderate interest
could be secured on the outlay, theV
would be only too glad to form
colonization companies for the pnr
pose OF buying lands, furnishing
transportation, building houses and
establishing the INDECENT la6orer in
u condition to be independent OF
the oppressive employer. But it is
a mOoted question, whether the
majority of the laborers out of EN-
plOymeut in the large cities would
rather remain in the fascinating city
midst the excitement aud ever
changing interest, than move into
the country aud pursue the even ten
or of the farmers way. Labor is u
commodity-it is the poor mans
stock III trade, with which the rich
man IN no more dispense than eau
the poor man with the rich mans
money; aud when the poor man
offers his wares in market ii the
prices offered do not suit him
it is his privilege to try some Other
market, but not his privilege to say
to the buyer, sou must purchase
my goods at the price | put upon
them. The labOrer, when he offers
his services tor hire, is IN the posi-
tiou of a producer and the employer
that of consumer; certainly no
fair minded man will claim that 4
producer has tue right to cOerce
the consumer into paying any price
he may set upon bis products, nor
that the consumer is Justified III
offering less than the producer can
afford to sell at and force him to
terms. No system OF coercion that
affects the public will ever live
long lite, nor eau the efforts of labor
or capital ever upset to any marked
degree the equilibrium OF supply |
aud demand, as nature is so closely
connected with the creation of the
demand and furnishing the supply,
supply aud demand will alway re
maiu very nearly as well balanced
as nature itself.
One of the common errors of Ia
bOrers is to demand u uniform rate
OF wages tor a uniform class Of wOrN
regardless of the mau that is to
furnish tue labor. Every employer
of experience knows that of every
hundred laborers employed fifty OF
them will fall at least % per cent.
below the other fifty in value of
services to their employer, but it
the employer attempts to reduce the
wages OF the interior laborer he
arOuses the ire of some labor organ
ization to which such labOrers may
belong and strike is ordered, and
the employer is deprived of the
services of the valuable meu be-
cause he cannot afford to pay full
wages to the interior. The idea
that any labor organization can, by
cOercivs measures, force n corpora
tiOn TO pay 6rst-claSs wages TO
second class men or more wages to ,
a first class man than its business
will iusiify, is untenable. The true
course for the Knights OF Labor to
pursue in order to promote the
eoudi1On of the labOriug classes, /
Is towards the improvement Of their
nsrals. Unfortunately for the
Welfare Of the laboring classes, iu
rery many cases, the prime movers
II labor agitatiOus are men who do
Tot command the respect Of the
,omounitv. In nine cases ont of